Drunk driving charges can lead to severe consequences, especially when innocent people are killed. One Virginia man is now facing DUI and manslaughter charges after a tragic accident killed a couple on a motorcycle.
At about 1:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, the couple was riding their motorcycle about one mile from their home when they were hit by a man driving a sedan. The man had just turned in to a shopping center when he crashed into the motorcycle. An officer at the scene reported that the man was slurring his speech and that his breath smelled like alcohol. He was also allegedly unsteady on his feet and looked disheveled. The officer said that the man admitted to drinking some wine before the accident.
According to court documents, a breath test done at the scene showed that the man had a blood alcohol level of .223. The man was allegedly given another test later and his reading was a .15. The legal limit for the state of Virginia is a .08.
The man now faces two counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and a DUI charge. There are however, many ways for motorists to defend themselves against a DUI charge. Typically these defenses involve looking in to the procedures followed by law enforcement officials on the scene and making sure they are in accordance with the law. In many cases, officers improperly administer field sobriety tests or portable breathalyzer tests. If these tests are not administered properly, the results could very well be inaccurate. There also may be issues with regards to the results being tampered with or mishandled in any way.
Source: NBC Washington, “Virginia Man Charged With DUI Manslaughter in Crash That Killed Two on Motorcycle,” Oct. 7, 2013
